Re: Operator, Information, give me geom.ctl on the line

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On Tue, Jul 28, 2026 at 3:37=E2=80=AFPM Bob Bishop <[email protected]> wrote:

> Hi,
>
> > On 28 Jul 2026, at 20:57, Poul-Henning Kamp <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > [=E2=80=A6]
> > All the way back to 386BSD's /etc/MAKEDEV script, and probably prior to
> > that, group operator  [etc]
>
> I suspect this may originate with UTS on IBM mainframes in the early 80s.
>

The operator stuff entered BSD in 4.3BSD. It wasn't in 4.2BSD or earlier
MAKEDEV or similar scripts.
Unsurprisingly, it's not in 7th edition, nor System III nor 32V.

It appears to have been added in

Revision *18173*
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg?view=3Drevision&revision=3D18173> - (view
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?revision=3D18173&view=
=3Dmarkup>)
(download
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?revision=3D18173&view=
=3Dco>)
(annotate
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?annotate=3D18173>) - [=
select
for diffs]
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?view=3Dlog&r1=3D18173&=
log_pagestart=3D0>
Modified *Fri Mar 1 16:43:33 1985 UTC* (41 years, 5 months ago) by *ralph*
File length: 6627 byte(s)
Diff to previous 14082
<https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?r1=3D14082&r2=3D18173>

added klog in standard. changed disks to be mode 640 root operator.


between 4.2BSD and 4.3BSD. There's no indication where it came from, or if
it was inspired
by something else. I don't have good access to UTS sources or systems to
check on other
than the V7 port.

Warner


> > Poul-Henning
> >
> > (Who makes absolutely no apologies for the Subject line.)
>
> :-)
>
> > --
> > Poul-Henning Kamp       | UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.20
> > [email protected]         | TCP/IP since RFC 956
> > FreeBSD committer       | BSD since 4.3-tahoe
> > Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by
> incompetence.
> >
>
>
> --
> Bob Bishop       t: +44 (0)118 940 1243
> [email protected]     m: +44 (0)783 626 4518
>
>
>
>
>
>

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<div dir=3D"ltr"><div dir=3D"ltr"><br></div><br><div class=3D"gmail_quote g=
mail_quote_container"><div dir=3D"ltr" class=3D"gmail_attr">On Tue, Jul 28,=
 2026 at 3:37=E2=80=AFPM Bob Bishop &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]">rb@=
gid.co.uk</a>&gt; wrote:<br></div><blockquote class=3D"gmail_quote" style=
=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding=
-left:1ex">Hi,<br>
<br>
&gt; On 28 Jul 2026, at 20:57, Poul-Henning Kamp &lt;<a href=3D"mailto:phk@=
phk.freebsd.dk" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>&gt; wrote:<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; [=E2=80=A6]<br>
&gt; All the way back to 386BSD&#39;s /etc/MAKEDEV script, and probably pri=
or to<br>
&gt; that, group operator=C2=A0 [etc]<br>
<br>
I suspect this may originate with UTS on IBM mainframes in the early 80s.<b=
r></blockquote><div><br></div><div>The operator stuff entered BSD in 4.3BSD=
. It wasn&#39;t in 4.2BSD or earlier MAKEDEV or similar scripts.</div><div>=
Unsurprisingly, it&#39;s not in 7th edition, nor System III nor 32V.</div><=
div><br></div><div>It appears to have been added in</div><div><span style=
=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium"><br></span></=
div><div><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:m=
edium">Revision=C2=A0</span><a href=3D"https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg?view=
=3Drevision&amp;revision=3D18173" style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:s=
ans-serif;font-size:medium"><strong>18173</strong></a><span style=3D"color:=
rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">=C2=A0- (</span><a href=
=3D"https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?revision=3D18173&am=
p;view=3Dmarkup" style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:sans-serif;font-si=
ze:medium">view</a><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;f=
ont-size:medium">) (</span><a href=3D"https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/e=
tc.vax/MAKEDEV?revision=3D18173&amp;view=3Dco" style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,255);=
font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">download</a><span style=3D"color:r=
gb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">) (</span><a href=3D"htt=
ps://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?annotate=3D18173" style=3D=
"color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">annotate</a><s=
pan style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">) -=
=C2=A0</span><a href=3D"https://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV=
?view=3Dlog&amp;r1=3D18173&amp;log_pagestart=3D0" style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,25=
5);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">[select for diffs]</a><span sty=
le=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium"></span><br =
style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium"><span st=
yle=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">Modified=
=C2=A0</span><em style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size=
:medium">Fri Mar 1 16:43:33 1985 UTC</em><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);fo=
nt-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">=C2=A0(41 years, 5 months ago) by=C2=
=A0</span><em style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:me=
dium">ralph</em><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font=
-size:medium"></span><br style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;f=
ont-size:medium"><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;fon=
t-size:medium">File length: 6627 byte(s)</span><br style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0=
);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium"><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);=
font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">Diff to=C2=A0</span><a href=3D"htt=
ps://svnweb.freebsd.org/csrg/etc/etc.vax/MAKEDEV?r1=3D14082&amp;r2=3D18173"=
 style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:sans-serif;font-size:medium">previ=
ous 14082</a><span style=3D"color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;font-si=
ze:medium"></span><pre class=3D"gmail-vc_log" style=3D"white-space:pre-wrap=
;color:rgb(0,0,0)">added klog in standard. changed disks to be mode 640 roo=
t operator.
</pre><br class=3D"gmail-Apple-interchange-newline"></div><div>between 4.2B=
SD and 4.3BSD. There&#39;s no indication where it came from, or if it was i=
nspired</div><div>by something=C2=A0else. I don&#39;t have good access=C2=
=A0to UTS sources or systems to check on other</div><div>than the V7 port.<=
/div><div><br></div><div>Warner</div><div>=C2=A0</div><blockquote class=3D"=
gmail_quote" style=3D"margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(20=
4,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
&gt; Poul-Henning<br>
&gt; <br>
&gt; (Who makes absolutely no apologies for the Subject line.)<br>
<br>
:-)<br>
<br>
&gt; -- <br>
&gt; Poul-Henning Kamp=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| UNIX since Zilog Zeus 3.=
20<br>
&gt; [email protected]=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| TCP/IP since RFC 95=
6<br>
&gt; FreeBSD committer=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0| BSD since 4.3-tahoe<br>
&gt; Never attribute to malice what can adequately be explained by incompet=
ence.<br>
&gt; <br>
<br>
<br>
--<br>
Bob Bishop=C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0 =C2=A0t: +44 (0)118 940 1243<br>
<a href=3D"mailto:[email protected]" target=3D"_blank">[email protected]</a>=C2=A0 =
=C2=A0 =C2=A0m: +44 (0)783 626 4518<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
</blockquote></div></div>

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